The blackouts in 2003 that affected the United States, Great Britain, and France have demonstrated an urgent need to update the world's power grids. An elegant and immediate solution is the replacement of existing conductors with composite core reinforced cables. An example of a composite core reinforced cable, the ACCC cable, is described in PCT Application No. PCT/US03/12520, which is incorporated by reference herein. Hereinafter, the ACCC cable will be used to represent all composite core cables. These ACCC cables provide a greatly increased ampacity. In some situations, the ACCC cable may provide a 100% increase in ampacity. Replacing antiquated cables with ACCC cables is an obvious and effective method for increasing the capabilities of the world's electrical transmission and distribution systems. To replace the outdated cables, linemen will need to install the ACCC or other composite core cables onto existing structures.
Unfortunately, current methods and devices to install these cables do not exist. To install the ACCC cables, the linemen must be able to splice the cables and attach the cables to poles or structures using dead ends. Unfortunately, existing devices and methods will not be effective.
While cable lengths for a single strand of ACCC cable may cover several thousand feet, a power grid requires several hundred or thousand miles of cable. To span these distances, the linemen must splice or couple two smaller cable spans together. The splice functions as both a mechanical junction that holds the two ends of the cables together and an electrical junction allowing the electric current to flow over or through the splice.
With the traditional aluminum conductor steel reinforced cable (ACSR), the cable is formed from a set of twisted aluminum conductors wrapped around a core of steel wires. The aluminum conductor mostly functions as the electrical conductor, while the steel core provides the strength member. The aluminum conductor does carry some of the load, and the steel core does help conduct some of the electric current. To splice two ACSR cable spans, linemen use a device such as a full tension compression splice. Hubbell/Fargo Manufacturing, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., offer these types of splices. For this device, a lineman strips the aluminum away from the steel core. A sleeve or die is placed over the end of the exposed core. The lineman leaves a small part of the steel core exposed beyond the end of the sleeve. A compression vise is used to affix the sleeve to the steel core. The sleeve and steel core from both cables are then inserted into a second tube. The tube is long enough to cover the sleeve and part of the aluminum conductor that was not stripped away. This tube is also crimped with a compression vise. These elements create compression fittings that hold both the aluminum conductor and the steel core.